ABOUT DON McLEOD  

McLeod received his theatrical training at the Pasadena Playhouse, the Banff School of Fine Arts and the School of Performing Arts in San Diego.  His physical theatre career began when he studied with Marcel Marceau in the early 70's. McLeod went on to form his own professional company and also began appearing in films, television and  solo concerts throughout the U.S.  In 1974 he was selected as the Official Mime of the World's Fair in Washington, and then was picked to be a featured part of singer Diana Ross's World Tour. He has performed for President Jimmy Carter, appeared with Ms. Ross on Broadway, and toured his solo show in Japan since 1983.  He has lived and performed extensively in Argentina, South Africa, Japan and Canada. 

As a movement artist and actor, McLeod has appeared in many feature films, television shows and commercials. His film roles include the bizarre lead werewolf in The Howling, the over-sexed gorilla in Trading Places, and a physicist/gorilla in The Man With Two Brains.  He doubled for Jack Nicholson in the Devil transformation scenes from Witches of Eastwick, played Peter Pan's Shadow in Hook, a gorilla in Born To Be Wild, Quasimodo in Naked Gun 2½ and a recent starring role (as a female gorilla) in Mom Can I Keep Her. Don McLeod was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife Lisa and two cats, Benny and Slinky.

He has also appeared on many TV shows including Spielberg's Amazing Stories, where he co-starred with Hailey Mills.  many will remember Don as the suitcase-smashing gorilla on the award-winning American Tourister Luggage ads on TV. He can currently be seen as the Grim Reaper in the new TIVO commercial, and soon as a "sexy" orangutan for MasterCard.  He was recently seen on the popular TV series Tarzan: The Epic Adventures, where he was featured as Tarzan's gorilla buddy Bolgani.  He also played all the creatures and monsters on the show.  Don has toured numerous colleges, theatres and high schools in the U.S. and Canada. He frequently tours to Asia and South America, and he is also a part-time faculty member at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Pasadena, Calif., where he teaches butoh and movement for actors. McLeod is also a widely published poet and fiction writer, and the co-editor of the literary journal Vol. No. Magazine.

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